Collective nouns are colorful terms used to describe specific groups of animals. These terms range from the familiar flock of birds to the imaginative parliament of owls. Determining the proper collective noun for a species like the squirrel requires looking at both established terminology and the animal’s actual social habits.
The Primary Collective Term
The most frequently cited collective noun for a gathering of squirrels is a scurry. This term directly captures the animal’s most recognizable characteristic: its rapid, darting movements as it forages or retreats. The word reflects the energetic, somewhat chaotic nature of multiple squirrels crossing a park or yard at the same time.
A second widely recognized term is a dray, though this word has a more specific, biological meaning. A dray is primarily the name for a squirrel’s nest, typically constructed from twigs, leaves, and other plant material high in a tree fork. The term is sometimes used to describe the group of squirrels occupying that nest, most commonly a mother and her young. This distinction is important because a scurry refers to the animals in motion, while a dray refers to the animals in their shelter.
Alternative and Historical Terminology
Beyond the two primary terms, other collective nouns are occasionally applied to squirrels, though they are less commonly recognized. The terms squad and colony have both been historically used to describe a group. The term colony may be more appropriate when referring to certain species, like ground squirrels, which naturally exhibit more developed social structures than their arboreal relatives. Tree squirrels are often solitary, making a large, general group term less applicable, while ground-dwelling species often live in extensive burrow systems.
Grouping and Social Behavior
In zoological terms, squirrels are not typically considered social animals in the way that wolves or bees are, as many species, like the Eastern gray squirrel, maintain distinct personal spaces. However, they are not entirely solitary and will aggregate under certain conditions. Squirrels may gather in areas with a concentrated food source, leading to a temporary scurry of individuals foraging in close proximity.
Grouping behavior is most pronounced during the winter, when nest-sharing becomes a survival strategy. To conserve heat in cold weather, multiple squirrels may share a single dray, with groups often ranging from two to nine individuals. Studies on nest-sharing have found that these groups frequently consist of related kin, indicating a preference for familial association over grouping with unrelated strangers.